Barnet vs Rotherham Prediction

Recent form tells a different story for each side

Barnet's last twenty matches have produced eight wins, nine draws and only three losses, with 38 goals scored along the way. That's a lot of games without really losing, even if plenty of them have been drawn rather than won outright.

Barnet: 20 completed matches; Rotherham: 20 completed matches.

Barnet

20 matches

Win

40% 8 / 20

Draw

45% 9 / 20

Loss

15% 3 / 20

Scored

38

Conceded

26

Difference

+12

Rotherham

20 matches

Win

15% 3 / 20

Draw

40% 8 / 20

Loss

45% 9 / 20

Scored

23

Conceded

36

Difference

-13

Rotherham's form sample is much rougher: three wins, eight draws and nine losses in their last twenty games, including heavy defeats like 1-4 to Gillingham and 0-4 in the EFL Trophy to Bradford. They've also drawn plenty, which at least shows they're not easy to put away even when they're struggling.

Barnet's underlying numbers look considerably healthier, but Rotherham's habit of drawing games means they're rarely blown away completely.

Comparative Team Statistics: Barnet vs Rotherham

A head-to-head that doesn't tell us much now

These two have only met a handful of times on record, and the most recent meeting was back in 2013. Results then were mixed, a win for Rotherham, a draw, a narrow Barnet win and another draw, but that was well over a decade ago with completely different squads and circumstances.

A big gap in the table

Barnet currently sit second with 26 points from 13 games, while Rotherham are down in 22nd with just 12 points from 14. That's a significant gap, even allowing for the fact the season is only partway through.

On the league table alone, Barnet look like the stronger side by some distance.

Goals have come from a few key names

Barnet's attack has been carried by Charlie Lakin, with six goals in seven matches, and Kwame Tshimanga, who's chipped in four goals and four assists in the same number of games. Between them they account for a big chunk of Barnet's scoring threat.

Barnet:

Best scorers:

C. Lakin - 6

K. Tshimanga - 4

Best assist providers:

K. Tshimanga - 4

C. Lakin - 2

Penalty cards:

N. Ofoborh x 1 x 1

O. Gallagher x 3

Rotherham:

Best scorers:

P. Mullin - 4

Penalty cards:

J. Buyabu x 3

For Rotherham, Paul Mullin has been their main source of goals with four in eight appearances. There's nothing in the discipline records to suggest cards will be a major factor either way.

Barnet's scoring looks fairly concentrated in two players, so shutting them down could blunt a lot of their threat.

How this one could play out

Put the table and the recent form together and Barnet look like the side better equipped to control this game, especially going forward. Rotherham's tendency to draw rather than lose outright means a tight, scrappy outcome shouldn't be ruled out, even with Barnet favoured on the numbers.